On 29 April 2026, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, in co-operation with the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Kazakhstan, officially opened modernized training classrooms at the Kazakhstan Peace Operations Centre (KAZCENT) "Bitimger" Training Centre in Almaty.
The refurbishment was carried out under the extra-budgetary project "Addressing Contemporary Safety and Security Risks in the Republic of Kazakhstan", aimed at strengthening national capacities in the field of weapons and ammunition stockpile security.
The modernized classrooms are designed to support structured and practical training of officers and specialists of the Ministry of Defence in key areas of conventional ammunition life-cycle management, including storage, handling, transportation, disposal, as well as safety and security procedures.
The opening ceremony was attended by Ambassador Alexey Rogov, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, representatives of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and OSCE Programme Office in Astana staff. The programme included official remarks, a statement by the Commandant of KAZCENT Col. Valihan Baykenov acknowledging completion of the works, and a brief tour of the upgraded facilities.
"The establishment of these classrooms enhances the role of KAZCENT as a training platform for specialized, high-quality courses, ensuring that knowledge and skills in ammunition management can be developed and applied consistently," said Ambassador Alexey Rogov, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana.
The upgraded classrooms will serve as a permanent training platform for officers and specialists of the Ministry of Defence, enabling regular training in a structured and standardized environment. They are expected to contribute to consistent knowledge transfer, skills development, and the strengthening of institutional training capacity within the Ministry. "Besides life-cycle management, modern and functional classrooms in Bitimger will provide spaces for regional trainings, delivered by Programme Office in Astana jointly with other OSCE field offices in Central Asia, addressing security issues forming the foundation of the politico-military work" - said Jaroslaw Kurek, Project Manager of the extra-budgetary project.
The OSCE Programme Office in Astana remains committed to supporting Kazakhstan in strengthening institutional capacity and enhancing overall safety and security in the field of conventional ammunition management.
